Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kiley Peters, founder, and CEO of Brainchild Studios and RAYNE IX, located in Milwaukee, WI, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I own two companies, both of which proudly support women and their success. I own Brainchild Studios, an award-winning international research and digital content strategy partner for brands targeting millennial moms and small businesses. I also owned RAYNE IX, a coaching and consulting practice helping women small business owners maximize their time, income, confidence, and personal fulfillment.

Tell us about yourself

I started Brainchild Studios in September 2016 after realizing that after a decade of working in digital marketing, I felt there was a better way to do this work.

I wanted the flexibility to be able to own my time and work from wherever I wanted, and I knew that I really only needed a Wi-Fi connection and a laptop to do so. So I created the company I wanted to work for, and, at the time, working remotely was not the norm that we know today.
I've built both of my companies with the vision and mission to support women. Creating opportunities for women to have fulfilling careers, strong families, and pursue personal growth in a flexible work-life environment has always been my top priority. I feel pretty confident that we've done that at Brainchild Studios, and I look forward to creating similar opportunities with my work at RAYNE IX.

Over the last six years, I have grown from someone who self-identified as a digital marketer to someone who now self-identifies as a business owner. While digital marketing, content strategy, and understanding consumer behavior are still passion points for me, I feel that the past dozen or so years have led me to a launching point. After learning so much over the better part of a decade as a business owner, I think my next calling in life is to reinvest into other women business owners and help them build their companies, furthering my personal purpose of educating, elevating, and inspiring as many women as I can by helping women business owners do the same.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg has always been a really strong force of inspiration for me. The same is true for Sara Blakely, both of which have paved the way for women in so many forms and fashions. I try to channel both of them in work I do to level the playing field and support equal opportunities for all genders.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My team. I've said many times people matter most, and I truly believe that. I'm most proud of my team and the relationships we've built, and how much we care about and support each other.

Leading and managing people is easily one of the hardest things I've ever done. I know it will continue to be an ongoing challenge that presents many opportunities for growth over time.

But with great risk and great rewards. I think when you take the risk of investing in people, you set yourself up for the greatest possible rewards as well. So, my team. I'm most proud of my team. We've also won a few international awards, which is pretty humbling as well.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

I think there are two things that will always be a challenge as a business owner. The first is this moving target of "balance," or as some might call it, this "work/life blend." It's near impossible trying to explain the varied roles and responsibilities of being a business owner and being responsible for other people's livelihoods and their children and their futures. It's an incredible gift to be able to employ people and provide those opportunities. It's truly one of the greatest gifts. But it's also one of the most challenging and demanding responsibilities.

As a business owner, depending on what stage of your business you're in, you may have to wear up to 10 or 15 different hats. That's not advised, but depending on where you are in your business, it may be necessary. Humans thrive on the opportunity to be masters at their craft. When you are tasked with tackling that many responsibilities, it's quite challenging to master any. On top of that, there is always something to be done. So figuring out when to shut it down for the day or the week is a constant struggle but is necessary to maintain any resemblance of life outside of your business.

The second is managing people. On top of your myriad of responsibilities as a business owner, managing people is a full-time role. To be responsible for their personal and professional growth, how they build relationships with others, the quality of their work, timeliness, and attitudes, you name it, managing people is so hard. When it works, it is the greatest gift. But there are few things worse than when it doesn't work out.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Ask for help. They say it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to build a business. Do the work on yourself to understand your strengths, and then ask for help in filling in the areas that are not your forte. Generally speaking, people like to help, wanting to see others succeed. Surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed and are willing to help you get there.
  2. Know your audience. No matter what business you are building, your customers should always be the most important thing you focus on. What problems are you solving for them? Why are you the best solution to their problems? How are you different? How can you make it easier on them? Know your audience. Meet them where they're at with messaging that resonates and solves their problems.
  3. Build your business to support your life. I've recently been on a quest to define success for myself. I think we spend a lot of time building our careers and our businesses to support the definition of success that society has shared with us. But this work is way too hard not to be using this time and energy to build the life that you want for yourself, regardless of how success is defined for anyone else. So take some time to identify what success means to you and hold that close to your heart. And align every decision you make with your definition of success. Build your business to support your life, not the other way around.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I believe entrepreneurship is one of the best ways to take control of your life. It provides you the opportunity to own your time, to own your income earning potential, to own the work and the type of work that you do, to surround yourself with people you choose, to open up endless possibilities, and the list goes on.

But it's not the life for everyone. And that's OK. This is really hard. But if you believe this is the path for you, go all in. It's a beautiful and exciting way to live.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website:
https://brainchildstudios.com/
https://rayneix.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kileypeters/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kileypeters/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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